Woman left with bizarre phobia of dinosaurs after watching Jurassic Park as a child

A woman has been left with a bizarre phobia of DINOSAURS after watching Jurassic Park as a child.

Victoria Jones, 28, first watched the prehistoric film when she was aged just seven and has been constantly on the look out for velociraptors – a type of meat eating dino featured in the movie – ever since.

The mother-of-two always plans her escape in case of a potential attack when she is out and about and refuses to leave the house alone at night.

Victoria Jones has a bizarre phobia of dinosaurs

The wildlife volunteer from Herstmonceux, East Sussex, said: “My fear started from the first ever time I watched the film.

“In particular I’m seriously afraid of velociraptors and the scenes with them freaked me out so much as a kid it sparked a life long fear.

“I know it’s ridiculous because dinosaurs don’t exist now, but I’ve tried so hard to get over it and I can’t just turn it off.”

The 28-year-old first watched Jurassic Park when she was aged just seven and has been constantly on the look out for velociraptors ever since

Victoria, who is mum to Owain, five, and Cerys, 19 months, claims her heartbeat increases and her breathing becomes erratic at the thought of dinosaurs.

She said: “In the day time I literally run to my car to strap in the kids, constantly looking up and down the lane and around to check, then I quickly jump in and slam the door after me.

“When I’m out I’m constantly planning an escape route and hiding place just in case a velociraptor rocks up.

“I am so scared of dinosaurs that I can’t go out alone in the dark.”

The mother-of-two always plans her escape in case of a potential attack

It was the famous kitchen scene from the original Jurassic Park, where the children hide from a velociraptor in a kitchen cupboard, that triggered Victoria’s unusual fear.

Despite this, she still went on to watch the other two films.

She said: “Because it was the ‘done thing’ I watched the other films in the series but they just made me worse.

“My son and husband were watching a film in the living room the other day and I could feel my heart beating and my hands sweating. I realised it was Jurassic Park and I had to ask them to switch it off.

“I’m dreading the new film coming out because it’s set in a city. I’ll be constantly worrying about dinosaurs running around.”

The wildlife volunteer from Herstmonceux, East Sussex, said: “My fear started from the first ever time I watched the film.”

Although Victoria is not scared of dinosaur characters on the television, for example Barney, she does struggle to play with her son’s dinosaur toys.

She also recently went to a dinosaur trail at Paradise Park, but was so scared of the lifelike moving structures that she cried.

Victoria said: “My friends and family think my dinosaur phobia is hilarious. No-one takes it seriously and it does make me feel really silly.

“It literally rules my life. I often wake up in the middle of the night sweating because I’ve had a nightmare about being chased by a velociraptor and having to rescue my friends and family.